Tools for Academic Advisors

The advisor's role is to assist the student in identifying needs and strategizing specific steps to help them return to good standing.

Advisors should provide the student with a plan of action that will lead the student to graduation. The plan should include what classes the student needs to complete their degree. The student should attach a copy of this plan to their SAP appeal when submitting it to the Financial Aid office.

For more information, please visit our Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy page. This page includes FAQs to help students with their questions.

By completing a FAFSA, students can apply for federal and state aid such as loans, grants, and work-study. For more information, visit Applying for Financial Aid.

To determine if your student has completed a FAFSA, the student may log into their MyMoreheadState account, click on Self-Service Link, and click on Financial Aid. 

• Students who have not completed their FAFSA will see the highlighted message in Figure 1.
• Students who have completed their FAFSA will see the highlighted message in Figure 2.

Figure 1:

Figure 2:

Students can see any document requests from the Financial Aid office on their MyMoreheadState Financial Aid Self-Service account. Students will see the following message on their self-service account if they have missing documents:  

Students may click “Complete required documents” to see what documents are needed. This is an example of a message the student may see:  

Students receive a notification from our office if they are missing any financial aid documents. For example, a student may need to submit an official copy of his/her birth certificate. Also, if a student is a first-time loan borrower, they must complete Entrance Counseling and e-sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN) for his/her loan to disburse.  

Students should be encouraged to apply for scholarships. Students should check the Department in which they are earning their degree to see if they offer any scholarships they can apply for.

Other options may include outside scholarships (usually awarded student’s senior year of high school), parent plus loan (for dependent students), graduate plus loan (graduate students only), or alternative loans.

MSU students may complete a general scholarship application for scholarships provided by the MSU Foundation. The application deadline is March 15th.

Students may also be awarded institutional scholarships based on a number of factors. Students who are awarded scholarships will receive an award letter notification. The letter will explain any renewal requirements students must meet to maintain their scholarships.

Example: Some scholarships require students to maintain a 3.0 GPA, while others may require students to reapply each year.

Note: Some scholarships are not renewable; students will be notified in their award letters.

Students do not need to make an appointment to meet with a Financial Aid Counselor. Students who come in for a face-to-face visit are placed with their assigned counselor (if available) or the first available counselor to prevent a long wait.

Please refer to the Financial Aid Checklist.

Students who do not maintain certain academic standards can lose their financial aid. Satisfactory Academic Progress is evaluating a student’s academic progress for every semester the student is enrolled. To maintain the receipt of financial aid, students must meet certain qualitative and quantitative standards. In other words, if a student does not maintain a certain MSU and Overall GPA and/or does not earn at least 67% of their Attempted Hours, then the student could lose his/her financial aid. You are welcome to print out our Understanding SAP handout for you and your students. 

To determine your student’s SAP status, students may log into their MyMoreheadState Financial Aid Self-service account.

Students not meeting the SAP policy will see the following message on their Financial Aid Self-Service account:

*Please note that the University's Academic Progress policy, administered through Academic Advising and Retention, is separate from the Office of Financial Aid’s Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy. A student may be placed on probation and/or be required to appeal by Academic Advising and Retention and the Office of Financial Aid.

Every year the U. S. Department of Education (DOE) selects a percentage of financial aid applicants for a review of their financial aid information. This review is known as verification. If your student's application is selected for verification, the student must submit certain information, as determined by the U.S. Department of Education, to receive federal student aid.

Students who have been selected for Verification cannot be awarded their financial aid package until they have submitted all requested documents and have completed the verification process. Note: Students will see their awards on their MyMoreheadState account, but they will not be released toward the student’s bill until verification has been completed.

Students will have a notification on their Financial Aid Self-Service account to let them know they need to complete verification:

MSU outsources its verification process to Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA). You may visit KHEAAVerify.com to obtain the necessary steps for the completion of the Verification process. 

Summer financial aid may be available for students depending on remaining eligibility for the year. Summer is considered a “trailer” to the financial aid award year. Some students use their full loan eligibility during the fall and spring semesters and do not have any remaining loan eligibility for summer.

Additional options may be a summer Parent Plus Loan (for dependent students only) or an alternative loan (subject to credit check and may require a co-signer). Note: There is a separate Parent Plus loan application for summer that is available on the Financial Aid Forms page during the summer months.

Winter financial aid may be available to eligible admitted Morehead State University students enrolled in Winter Session. For registration and billing purposes, the Winter session(s) operates as a standalone term. For financial aid purposes, winter session(s) enrollment is added into the spring semester to determine eligibility.

MSU has a team of financial aid counselors to help students understand aid options and the financial aid process. To contact a financial aid counselor or schedule a meeting, email finaid@moreheadstate.edu or call 606-783-2011.